The Dragon Children
by purpledragon6
Summary: After all these years, Tai Lung has returned and is ready for a rematch against the Dragon Warrior... Too bad he had to return the very same week that Po is out of town for a few days. Luckily, his children are great company to the leopard for the time being! Contains Tipo and some Tai LungxOC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N** : **Summary: After all these years, Tai-Lung has returned and is ready for a rematch against the Dragon Warrior... Too bad he had to return the very same week that hes out of town for a few days. Luckily, his children are great company for the time being!**

 **Contains: TiPo and some Tai-LungxOC later.**

* * *

It had to have been years since he had been banished to the spirit realm, even if he hadn't changed. Even in the brief glimpse he had gotten of the outside world after his escape from prison, he was able to remember enough of it to know that something was terribly different about this specific village. The houses looked different, the people were new, and those he remembered seeing before almost looked ancient now. It both amazed and irritated him. Things looking some similar and yet so different- One might say that it almost made him feel unsettled.

Well, as unsettled as one may be after spending however long in prison and then a realm of spirits shortly afterwards. Coming back to the world was just a trip in and of itself.

"No matter... Things are not drastically changed... Perhaps he IS still around." The snow leopard mused, continuing his trek through the village.

He had "borrowed" a cloak from a passerby (poor soul) a few miles back. Its long hood was enough to keep any prying eyes from discovering who he truly was. The last thing he wanted now was to cause too much of a panic. That would give the Dragon Warrior a minute too many to prepare. No, he wanted to remain hidden until it was too late for anyone to do anything about it-

"Thanks for stopping in, come again!" A voice rang out from a nearby shop.

Not to say that the pitch was irritating, but it was enough to drag the former kung-fu master's attention away from the palace that lay some miles in the distance. The voice seemingly belonged to an old goose- who had one of those familiar faces for some reason. In the moment it took Tai-Lung to look at him, the goose's eyes were on him. In an instance, every strand of fur he hand was standing on end, and he quickly began to plot a way to swiftly kill the goose if he needed to-

"Ah! You sir! You look like a hungry traveler from somewhere I don't care to know of!" The goose called, waddling over to the leopard at an almost intimidating speed.

"O-oh! No, thats alright-" Tai-Lung hurried, about to step away.

"Nonsense. Everything is half off today with purchase of just ONE side item." The goose insisted, already pushing the larger male towards a restaurant's entrance. "You can't beat prices like that!"

"No... I'm sure you can't..." Just one good squeeze should kill that annoying bird-

"We really do have the best noodles in China." The goose continued. "Usually we're a lot busier, but-"

The bird tore away from Tai-Lung's side before the villain had a chance to ring his neck. He sprinted towards what must have been the kitchen at a speed that almost had the other impressed. And from the looks of it, the little panda and tiger cubs playing in a bowl of flour was the cause of his sprint.

"No! Bow! Lai-Ling!" The goose cried, casually tossing over his shoulder, " My name is Mr. Ping, by the way. Have a seat anywhere, my granddaughter will take care of you in a momen- TATI! We have a customer!"

If he weren't on a detour to killing the Dragon Warrior, Tai-Lung would have found the set-up to be amusing. But no matter, a quick stop was nothing at this point. He was close enough as is and no one seemed to have recognized him yet. A break almost sounded nice. So with a deep sigh, he took a seat at a corner table, one that was far enough away from what little crowd there was at the restaurant that he could be alone with his thoughts for a little while longer. At least until the goose's granddaughter arrived.

"I'm sorry, grandfather-" A female's voice sounded, just a few octaves too loud. "I tried to stop them-"

"Sorry doesn't take the orders, Tati." Mr. Ping huffed loud enough for most of the restaurant to hear. "Now, go take this nice man's order while I clean this up!"

Taking this as a warning that his moment's peace was ending, Tai-Lung lifted his gaze to the kitchen's exit. Much to his surprise, he didn't find a young goose in the doorway, rather she was a- tiger? She was tall and slender like one at least, but she had no stripes, just panda like markings in darker orange fur over her arms and black around her green eyes. A shock of longer tufts of orange, white, and black fur framed her face in the most bizarre way, but she wasn't too strange to look at, regardless of whatever she was.

She was almost pretty in a sense. Definitely nothing Tai-Lung had seen before. Just like the goose, her attention was almost instantly grabbed by his, and she hurried on over. All while retying a flour coated apron around her waist.

"I'm sorry about the wait-" She began, wiping some flour from her fur. "My siblings are hard to watch, and I'm still only a week on the job an-"

"Its alright, my dear." Tai-Lung cut in, trying to sound as kind as possible. "It looked like they were having fun... I assume that you're Tati?"

"Not fun when that flour comes out of my paycheck-" She huffed, "And yes I am."

"Ah. The family resemblance to your grandfather is- Uncanny." He said.

While Tai-Lung was never one to gab, he was beginning to figure that it may be the only way to properly ground himself in this strange world. While some things had remained the same, this new creature was just too big of a change for him. He had to know just how much different things were now- Or he felt that curiosity would truly kill him. Luckily, it already sounded like the young waitress was a chatty one.

"You should see my father then." Tati laughed, "He and my grandfather look like they were grown from the same tree most days."

"Your father?" He smiled kindly. "A goose?"

"A panda." Tati explained, giving a little nod of her head.

Well, that was certainly interesting. Something that was worthy of talking a little longer about. It would just be an act of asking the right questions and making the right comments to make this a conversation and not an interrogation.

"An orange panda like yourself?" That may have been a tad rude to assume, but whatever. It wasn't like he was going to see her again.

"Oh no. Hes a regular panda." Tati frowned, looking like she took offense to the comment. "My mother is a tiger though-"

Now, THAT was an interesting thing to note. A panda and a tiger in this area of China? Now, where had he seen that duo before other than the Jade Palace?

"A panda? Surely not the same panda that the universe sent to be the Dragon Warrior?" He noted the way that she took a step back from him, and let his smile slide down just a bit."

"That very one- Who would like to know?"

In a flash, the snow leopard had one, strong paw wrapped around the woman's wrist and pulled her down to the table so that she was eye level with him. Perhaps a premature reaction, but it might be a necessary one. He didn't need the warrior's child alerting anyone. That be even worse than his father.

"Tell me, Dragon Child," He began, using his free paw to push his hood back just a touch. "Do you remember hearing about your father's battle with a warrior called 'Tai-Lung'?"

Her green eyes widened a touch. Perhaps she took after her mother in the brains department.

"T-that was almost 20 years ago-" She whispered, "My father said he killed him-"

"He banished me to the Spirit Realm. All it took was waiting for a door to open for me to return." Tai-Lung hissed, his grip tightening slightly.

"Y-You-!?"

"Quiet..." Another hiss. "Now, if you don't want me to kill you now, then you'll tell me where your father might be, very quietly..."

"I can't." Tati said, wincing undoutably from the claws digging into her skin.

"And why not, Dragon Child?" He frowned, his patience for her wearing thin.

"I literally can't." Tati said, this time her voice firm. "He and my mother are on a two week long trip. There is no telling where they are or what time they will be back."

Tai-Lung's gaze went from merciful to deadly as he searched the woman's eyes for any signs of a lie. When he found none, he just continued to hold her arm. He hadn't thought of what to do with her if she answered that way- and killing her and the others now would give too much of a warning about his location- but he couldn't just let her go free now that she knew who he was.

"Now, either buy something or get out!" Tati's voice almost startled him, her tone just as deadly as his gaze was.

"Excuse me?" He snapped, gripping her arm once more. "You're not in a position to demand anything o-"

To his surprise, he was suddenly blinded by a flurry of flour being tossed into his eyes by Tati's free hand. In a moment of pain, he seemingly lost his grip on her arm, giving her just enough time to backhand him. It didn't hurt as badly as most things he endured, but it certainly surprised him.

"Ow! W-what- Why did yo-" He furiously wiped his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but you were being an ass," Tati sighed, rubbing her injured arm. "I was going to punch you, but then I saw the flour."

Golden eyes glared up into her green ones. Much to his surprise, he found that they were softened, almost with a hint of concern for him in them.

"You're apologizing? After I grabbed you and threatened to kill you?" The Dragon Child was more like her father than he first thought.

"Well, yes- It looked like it might have hurt you!" She said, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Its flour! Of course it-"

The leopard stopped, just gawking up at this- creature for a moment. She truly was the strangest thing he had ever encountered, and that was next to a fat panda who managed to defeat him in battle! The whole encounter was so strange that it was almost funny. For the first time in his 60 (technically) years, he actually felt like laughing.

And so he did.

He laughed at this truly awkward, and bizarre set-up. A young woman throwing flour in his face when threatened with death, then apologizing for it anyway... The same young woman whose father he was coming to kill- Whose mother he had almost succeeded in killing all those years ago. Truly, this was the most awkward and yet hilarious situation he had ever found himself in.

Tati seemed to think so too, as even she had begun to laugh.

"Terribly sorry, my dear." He spoke between laughter. "Any idea when your parents might be returning?"

"Not for another week or so." She replied, taking a small pad of paper and a brush out of her apron pocket. "Are you going to order something?"

Taking a moment to consider it, he reached into his robe pocket and withdrew a small sack of coins that belonged to the garments original owner and weighed it in his paw. There was definitely enough in there for a week of eating here.

"Just a bowl of broth." Tai-Lung sighed, waving the woman off.

"The half off special doesn't apply to you since you tried to kill me." Tati said. "Is that okay?"

"... Yes."

"Good."

She nodded, took down the order, and left. Leaving a group of clients awkwardly watching the cloaked leopard in the corner of the restaurant.


	2. Chapter 2

Watching the eldest dragon child had been interesting- Or at least as interesting as watching someone slide between tables for hours on end could be. Sometimes she would stop at a particular table and shoot a witty phrase to the customer she was serving, but for the most part it was the same repetitive action of setting a bowl down before running off to get a new one.

"How riveting..." Tai Lung sighed, watching the restaurant goers clear out for the night.

It was late in the evening by now, the sun having long since dipped below the horizon's edge. From the kitchen window he could see the owner and his grandchildren scrubbing pots and counting the day's earnings. Such a lovely sight- had he been any other outsider looking in. However, he wasn't. Tai Lung was ruthless and vengeful-

"Would you like to come in?" Tati's voice slammed him back into his current situation harder than any hit he had taken before. Golden eyes instantly darted for her's out of habit- it was almost startling how welcoming they still seemed, given the circumstances. "Its already passed dark and-"

"My dear, I could kill you and your family at any moment, and yet you still show me such kindness?" Tai Lung mocked, "Where have your senses gone?"

"You won't." Tati replied, "Word travels fast here- If you killed us now then my father would have several days to build up a vengeance worse than yours."

"I suppose that is true." He mused, watching as she so boldly pulled up a chair alongside his and sat down. In either paw, she held a small bowl of noodles. How he hadn't noticed before was now beyond him, but he didn't ponder it long, as one was pushed closer to him.

"As a proper response though- my parents taught me to respect strangers." Tati sighed, taking a spoonful of noodles and swallowing them whole. "You never know the kind of journey they've been on."

"That is the kind of lesson that will get you killed one day."

With that, he took up his bowl and his own spoon and tried a bit of the food. It was rather bland and cold compared to the first bowl he had been given, an all but obvious sign that these were leftover from the day's preparations with a limited shelf life left. Still, it was filling and better than nothing at all. The conversation, however, was not.

"Or save me... But worst case- at least I died doing the right thing." Tati spoke up, idly twirling her chopsticks about in her bowl.

"Well then-"

"TATI!" The sudden sound of the goose's voice caused them both to jump and Tai Lung bared his claws out of instinct- though they were quickly put away as he was drawn back to his current situation once more. Startling the father of the Dragon Warrior by revealing himself- that was put his senses where Tati had left hers.

A kind smile was instead placed on his face, and he strained to hold it as the goose made his way over to them, one cub holding each of his wings.

"Tati, would you please put the little ones to bed tonight?" He asked, all but shoving the Cubs into her arms. "Its Mahjong Night and I don't want them to hear Mrs. Ming's horrible words again- Your father would kill me if he heard your brother say another bad word!"

The older cub rolled her dark eyes, but gathered up the young in her long arms gracefully. She then turned her gaze to Tai Lung. A sickening prickle ran through him, and he felt dread settle into his stomach. He was about to he asked a favor that he was not prepared for. He just knew it.

"Come in with me." She said firmly, before turning sharply on her heels and starting for the inside of the restaurant. Not wanting to make a scene, he followed her.

As they walked up the stairs of the warm, but cramped hovel, he began to think once more of how easily he could have killed her. Just snap her neck and leave her corpse before his enemy- the cubs' bloodied pieces strewn about the stairs of the Jade Palace as a warning for those who dare to challenge him- their parents soon joining them as he finished them off. And yet he found himself doing none of that. He simply watched Tati's tail as it swayed in front of him, her steps far in front of his despite the load she carried.

Soon, they came to the very top of the restaurant. A near empty attic, with three mats and a few toys set up. It was cool, but not entirely unpleasant.

"Its the only room with enough space for the three of us." Tati muttered, slipping the male cub onto his mat. "Try to put my sister to sleep- she will bite you, so be wary."

Tai Lung scoffed and lifted the little tiger cub into his arms. She looked nearly identical to the loud-mouthed tiger who had attempted to defeat him on the bridge. The fake Dragon Warrior- just tinier and with little black nubs for ears. She looked so ridiculously cute that a genuine laugh found it's way out of his throat and into the night air...

He recieved a hard bite to the wrist for it. A low growl replaced his laugh, but that was as far as he would take things for now. The little thing was then placed on her mat and covered with a nearby blanket. The cub let out an irritating whine and began her struggle. A pair of strong paws attempted to hold her down, but even Tai Lung found this to he a touch difficult- especially with those tiny fangs dragging down his arm.

There had to be a way to distract himself from the pain until she fell asleep- perhaps talking was the route he should take? It was better than sitting in silence at that second.

"I suppose you'll be tucked in next?" He sneered to Tati.

"I'm a 23 year old female. The only reason I am here is to watch my siblings when our grandfather can not." Tati hissed- before quickly adding, "That and... I was kicked out of the Jade Palace for the time being..."

Now, that was interesting.

"What could someone of your size have possibly done to earn such a dishonor?" He asked.

"I set off a chair of fireworks in the grand hall." She sighed, shaking her head. "Shifu was nearly blue from anger-"

"Yes... That does sound like my old master." A soft chuckled left his throat. "Though I had only set fire to one tapestry as a child."

"And that got you kicked out?" Her black nose wrinkled in disatisfaction.

"No, I also laid waste to the Valley of Peace as an adult over the Dragon Scroll." He frowned, "I would have assumed your parents informed you of that. Just like any other good parent- my flaws and misdoings should have been highlighted as a way to teach good to children-"

"They did, but I've seen something else you've done that I have put into focus at the moment." She said.

"Oh really? And what is that?"

"You've put my baby sister to sleep."

Golden eyes darted down to the cub, now snoozing peacefully under the weight of his arms. Her whining had dissolved away into soft snores, and her little pout was replaced with a look of sleepy content and trust. It was almost an adorable sight. For once, his monologue was used for good.

"... It seems as though I have."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Dragon Children Chapter 3: Patience is the Night.**_

* * *

How long had it been?

A day? A month? A year?

As a child, Tai Lung had been taught to read the moon as it hung in the sky. To tell the time of night by reading it in the stars. His old masters used to playfully squabble with one another one what the exact second had been. The snow leopard cub would simply watch in astonishment, somehow believing that one COULD measure an exact second by reading it in a light.

Now, with the same moon and the same stars, he found that they no longer allowed him the time of day or night. Without a sense of what day it had been or what season they were in, time has become useless to him.

The nights were just a long stretch of dark and waiting. Waiting for the dawn to eventually arrive and pull him one day closer to slaying the Dragon Warrior-

"You should sleep one of these nights."

In an instance, the dark was replaced by a warm candles glow, and the silence was filled with the distant sound of yet another one of Mr. Ping's Mahjong nights in full swing just below them. Suddenly Tai Lung was uncomfortably aware of how little time he felt had truly passed.

"I've slept long enough while imprison-" He began, but stopped and turned his full attention to Tati. "Pray tell, would you happen to know the time?"

"A bit passed midnight, I'd assume." She replied, setting the newly lit candle besides him.

"I thought you'd have fallen asleep by now." He said, looking back out the window and into the sky, searching and scanning for familiar stars that would prove Tati correct.

Time or none, he knew it was much too early for Tati to have awakened naturally.

"I was, but now I'm not." Tati said, joining him and the candle at the window. "I watched you staring at the sky for a bit, but then you began to bore me. What were you doing?"

"Excuse me, dragon child, for boring you with something that was none of your buisness." He replied gruffly.

"My apologizes, I guess." Tati sighed, "Perhaps look to the stars a little quieter."

"Perhaps you should consider lighting your candles more quietly." Whatever that meant, he didn't quite know, but something about the way the conversation was currently flowing just felt, well, fun to him. For once, it felt nice to talk about something that didn't include his many misdoings.

"I needed the candle. I had planned to go out for a bit." Tati said, her tone lowering.

"Oh dear. Would your grandfather approve?" Tai Lung sneered, turning a quizzical eyebrow upward.

"Its nearly the solstice. I'll be 24 then. Surely he'd be alright with it." Tati replied, lifting the candle from its spot on the floor. "Will you stay at watch the cubs? They shouldn't wake until morning."

Tai Lung felt a cruel smirk tug at the corner of his lips out of habit, as he watched Tati casually go about slipping on her shoes. The air shd carried about her gave no indication that she was sharing a space and about to leave two defenseless cubs alone with China's #1 threat.

All to venture outside alone in the middle of the night.

"Are you sure that is wise?" Tai Lung frowned.

"Worst case scenario is that you kill them. But you haven't made good on that threat yet, and it has already been a full night with you here." Tati said.

"I meant venturing out on your own." He frown only seemed to grow, as he pushed himself off of the floor. "I will accompany you."

"If you insist, but I may be compelled to leave you in the wilderness on your own should you cross me."

"My dear, I've traveled the outside world long before you existed-"

"Good. Then you'll be the one to lead us."

With that, Tati took off towards the stairs, leaving a completely bewildered Tai Lung pondering over how dimwitted the dragon cub truly could be.

* * *

The nighttime air was cool, but comfortable. There was no breeze that night, just a bright moon that illuminated the tree tops in a gentle white glow. Tai Lung had seen many nights much like this one. However, this particular night felt different than all the rest. What had changed? The stars, trees, and the moon were all the same. Perhaps he was the one who had changed? That years of solitude, another lifetime of isolation had changed his eyes in such a way that his old worldview had been skewed?

"Its beautiful out tonight." Or perhaps it was his traveling companion.

"Quite. Do you often travel alone at night?" Tai Lung asked, watching as Tati walked a straight line along the trunk of a fallen tree. "Seems like a strange time to go for a walk."

"No. I've already told you the solstice is coming... Days before, I gather flowers and coloured stones from nearby riverbeds and I decorate my siblings rooms while they sleep the night of." Tati explained, gracefully leaping off of the trunk. "Especially now that we're away from home. I haven't the time to hide these things during the day, what with helping at the restaurant and watching the cubs."

"Seems like quite a bit of work for one day." Tai Lung scoffed, "Why do you bother?"

"Because children grow up to be good if you allow them to keep their sense of wonded."

Somewhere in those words, the snow leopard felt a sting of malice. A sense of truth as well, but mostly the latter. Whether she had intended to mock his short comings or not, he felt it. Felt in deep in the darkest parts of his soul, where a young man was left wondering why HE hadn't been destined for greatness.

All his life he had trained to be the greatest warrior that had ever lived. Yet here he was now, escorting a young woman whose good family name should have been his. Walking with her as she collected plants to ensure that her siblings did not turn out hardened as he had...

What an absolute crock. This girl with no former training from the great masters as he had, running around in the dark as if it would do any good for anyone. Running a fools errand to make two children happy, all while completely ignoring the threat that was currently still looming over her!?

It was bizarre, it was insulting to Tai Lung and everything he and the title of Dragon Warrior once stood for. Her mere words alone had already awoken a decades old fire within him so readily that here, in these woods on this night, he decided he was going to do away with her once and for all!

"If you're planning something-" Tati spoke suddenly, her back still to him. "You'd best do it now."

"You, little girl, have a tendency to say so much wrong in so few words." Tai Lung growled, balling a fist. "It truly is infuriating."

With that he wound back his dominant arm and bared his claws, swinging it down at lightning speed towards Tati's still head- and to his surprise, he caught nothing. There was no sickening scrape of claw against skull, no screams of dying pain from the Dragon Child. Just open night air and his heavy breathing. Bloodshot eyes scanned the area before him, and he found Tati standing just a short distance away, this time facing him.

Her expression was relaxed, but he could hear her heart hammering in her chest.

"You're just as foolish as your father." Tai Lung growled, once again preparing his claws to strike the girl. "You who speak so openly to the enemy. You trust so blindly- You know who I am and yet-"

Another strike was attempted, and yet this time Tati remained still. This time a heavy paw met the fabric of her top, with no force behind it to do anymore damage than to unpick a thread or two. Despite the rage Tai Lung knew he felt, the same as the day he had been denied his destiny, he found that he could no land a single blow against her.

It all made him want to cry out into the night. Anything to break the silence.

"... Why...?" He finally spoke, keeping a firm hold on the fabric in his paws. "You know of my story. My intentions, and yet you remain unphased... In a week's time, I will most likely have you killed."

Silence answered him. Tati's gaze was now focused souly on his paw. She was either planning her words, or waiting for him to let go of her. He did not know which would come first. Part of him hoped she would choose to speak first.

"You had the option to kill me and my village the moment you arrived, but you chose to stay in hiding." Tati finally spoke. "I could ask you the same question of "why", but instead, I will let you keep your wondering for a little while longer."

"Why-" He echoed, grip finally loosening on the girl just enough that she could slip away and wander deeper into the forest.

"Come help me gather stones. The sun will be up soon." She called, disappearing into a nearby thicket, and once again leaving the snow leopard to ponder his thoughts.

Sore eyes watched her for a moment, before drifting off to the moon as it hung in the sky. Only an hour since midnight had passed... That girl was a liar. Perhaps he should teach her to keep time properly. Perhaps he could remember himself as soon as his head cleared.

And perhaps he would allow himself to wonder "Why?".

Perhaps..

.."


End file.
